Planning Commission recommends City Council adopt Glendora Station Area Vision Plan

The Glendora Planning Commission voted 4-0 on July 1 to recommend City Council adoption of the Glendora Station Area Vision Plan (PLN22-0059), a two-year, Metro-funded planning effort that lays out an illustrative development vision, public-realm improvements and a roadmap for zoning and code changes within a half-mile radius of the future Glendora Metro Station.

Principal planner Hans Friedel and PlaceWorks consultants presented the plan’s findings, which the consultants said are the result of a scenario-based process: an existing-conditions analysis, a parcel-level development-opportunity scoring and a public-engagement program that included mailed brochures, two open houses, outreach at community events and an interactive website. The plan concentrates on six focus areas the consultants identified as most likely to attract reinvestment in the next 10–20 years.

PlaceWorks said the plan tests development capacity for a range of building types: multi-story apartment “wrap” buildings adjacent to the station, three-story walk-ups and townhomes on smaller lots, and podium-style mixed-use at the south end of the village. The consultants noted the half-mile study area contains roughly 1,000 of the housing units the city must plan for under the certified housing element — about 45% of Glendora’s current allocation — and argued that focusing growth near transit is a strategic opportunity.

Public comments and commissioner discussion emphasized pedestrian safety, the look and scale of new development near the village and the need to preserve appropriate transitions to existing neighborhoods. Commissioners asked about parking and phasing; staff noted state laws have limited local parking requirements near transit and Metro officials have signaled interest in redeveloping station parking with housing over time while retaining commuter parking capacity.

The plan recommends new land-use categories and corresponding zoning tools (for example, a Transit Mixed-Use zone and tiered mixed-use corridor zones that increase base density for larger consolidated parcels) and identified street and public-realm improvements — notably on Vermont Avenue between the station and Route 66 — to support walkability. Consulting materials included a market study, parcel analyses and public-feedback documentation; the plan’s appendices record comments and the public engagement timeline.

On a motion to recommend that the City Council find the plan statutorily exempt under CEQA guidelines (CCR §15262 — feasibility and planning studies) and adopt a city council resolution to approve the Glendora Station Area Vision Plan (PLN22-0059), the commission recorded a 4-0 vote in favor. The matter will go to the City Council for final adoption and any subsequent zoning or code amendments required to implement the plan.

Commissioners thanked staff and the consultant team for the outreach and noted the plan is intended as a long-range roadmap to inform the general plan update and future implementation efforts such as zoning changes, objective design standards and capital improvements. The commission’s recommendation included direction to forward the plan and its technical appendices to the City Council for consideration.